IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ijphth/v63y2018i6d10.1007_s00038-018-1124-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Ethnic identity, resilience, and well-being: a study of female Maasai migrants

Author

Listed:
  • Ashley Jowell

    (Stanford University)

  • Sharon Wulfovich

    (Stanford University)

  • Sianga Kuyan

    (Future Warriors Project)

  • Catherine Heaney

    (Stanford University)

Abstract

Objectives Migration is an increasingly prevalent worldwide phenomenon. In recent years, Maasai men and women have migrated from their traditional rural villages to cities in Tanzania in growing numbers. This study explores the experience of rural-to-urban migration among female Maasai migrants and how this experience affects ethnic identity, resilience, and well-being. Methods Thirty-one female Maasai migrants were interviewed in Swahili, Maa, or English. Researchers used a rigorous multi-pass, qualitative coding process to analyze interview transcripts. Results Migration-driving factors, specifically a desire for education (leading to permanent migrants) and a need to support one’s family (resulting in circular migrants), influence how Maasai women adapt and respond to challenges in the city. Circular migrants hold closely to their traditional ethnic identity and remain isolated from city life, while permanent migrants modulate their ethnic identity and integrate into urban society. Conclusions Increasing connections among female Maasai migrants might create a more resilient community leading to improved health. Pilot workshops with this aim are being implemented.

Suggested Citation

  • Ashley Jowell & Sharon Wulfovich & Sianga Kuyan & Catherine Heaney, 2018. "Ethnic identity, resilience, and well-being: a study of female Maasai migrants," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 63(6), pages 703-711, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ijphth:v:63:y:2018:i:6:d:10.1007_s00038-018-1124-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s00038-018-1124-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00038-018-1124-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00038-018-1124-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. United Nations (UN), 2016. "International Migration and Development," Working Papers id:11048, eSocialSciences.
    2. Alexandra K. Heaney & Sandra J. Winter, 2016. "Climate-driven migration: an exploratory case study of Maasai health perceptions and help-seeking behaviors," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 61(6), pages 641-649, July.
    3. Brown, T.M. & Cueto, M. & Fee, E., 2006. "The World Health Organization and the transition from international to global public health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(1), pages 62-72.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Karl McShane, 2017. "Getting Used to Diversity? Immigration and Trust in Sweden," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 37(3), pages 1895-1910.
    2. Raffin, Natacha & Seegmuller, Thomas, 2014. "Longevity, pollution and growth," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 22-33.
    3. Omolara Sanni & Bukola Salami & Folajinmi Oluwasina & Folakemi Ojo & Megan Kennedy, 2022. "Climate Change and African Migrant Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-7, December.
    4. Rory Horner, 2017. "What is global development," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 202017, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    5. Gebremeskel Berhane Tesfay & Babatunde Abidoye, 2019. "Shocks in food availability and intra-household resources allocation: evidence on children nutrition outcomes in Ethiopia," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 7(1), pages 1-21, December.
    6. Marion Borderon & Patrick Sakdapolrak & Raya Muttarak & Endale Kebede & Raffaella Pagogna & Eva Sporer, 2019. "Migration influenced by environmental change in Africa: A systematic review of empirical evidence," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 41(18), pages 491-544.
    7. Joseph Cummins & Anaka Aiyar, 2017. "Age-Profile Estimates of the Relationship Between Economic Growth and Child Health," Working Papers 201710, University of California at Riverside, Department of Economics.
    8. Helble, Matthias & Ali, Zulfiqar & Lego, Jera, 2018. "A Comparison of Global Governance Across Sectors: Global Health, Trade, and Multilateral Development Finance," ADBI Working Papers 806, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    9. Huh, Hyeon-Seung & Park, Cyn-Young, 2018. "Asia-Pacific regional integration index: Construction, interpretation, and comparison," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 22-38.
    10. Massimo Fabiani & Gianluigi Ferrante & Valentina Minardi & Cristina Giambi & Flavia Riccardo & Silvia Declich & Maria Masocco, 2017. "Comparison of rubella immunization rates in immigrant and Italian women of childbearing age: Results from the Italian behavioral surveillance system PASSI (2011-2015)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-16, October.
    11. Isabel Iguacel & Laura Escartín & Juan M. Fernández-Alvira & Iris Iglesia & Idoia Labayen & Luis A. Moreno & María Pilar Samper & Gerardo Rodríguez, 2018. "Early life risk factors and their cumulative effects as predictors of overweight in Spanish children," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 63(4), pages 501-512, May.
    12. John H. Fleming & Neli Esipova & Anita Pugliese & Julie Ray & Rajesh Srinivasan, 2018. "DATA-SURVEY: Migrant Acceptance Index: A Global Examination of the Relationship Between Interpersonal Contact and Attitudes toward Migrants," Border Crossing, Transnational Press London, UK, vol. 8(1), pages 103-132, January-J.
    13. Brimnes, Niels, 2008. "BCG vaccination and WHO's global strategy for tuberculosis control 1948-1983," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(5), pages 863-873, September.
    14. Kehr, Janina & Muinde, Jacinta Victoria Syombua & Prince, Ruth J., 2023. "Health for all? Pasts, presents and futures of aspirations for universal healthcare," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 319(C).
    15. Gabriela Gore-Gorszewska, 2020. "“Why not ask the doctor?” Barriers in help-seeking for sexual problems among older adults in Poland," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 65(8), pages 1507-1515, November.
    16. Steffen Flessa & Dominik Dietz & Elisabete Weiderpass, 2016. "Health policy support under extreme uncertainty: the case of cervical cancer in Cambodia," EURO Journal on Decision Processes, Springer;EURO - The Association of European Operational Research Societies, vol. 4(3), pages 183-218, November.
    17. Ryo Horii & Masako Ikefuji, 2014. "Environment and Growth," DSSR Discussion Papers 21, Graduate School of Economics and Management, Tohoku University.
    18. Bridget O'Laughlin & Imrana Qadeer & Rama Baru, 2016. "Forum 2016," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 47(4), pages 760-781, July.
    19. Vesna Bjegovic-Mikanovic & Dejana Vukovic & Robert Otok & Katarzyna Czabanowska & Ulrich Laaser, 2013. "Education and training of public health professionals in the European Region: variation and convergence," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 58(6), pages 801-810, December.
    20. Eric Tremolada Álvarez, editor, 2021. "El futuro de las organizaciones internacionales: retos y responsabilidades del multilateralismo en la pospandemia," Books, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Facultad de Derecho, number 1308, htpr_v3_i.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ijphth:v:63:y:2018:i:6:d:10.1007_s00038-018-1124-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.